Vintage Villas with Veronica and Joseph Bird

I was delighted to minister at the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Bird at Vintage Villas last Friday, September 26, 2014.  Joseph and Veronica were surrounded by the love of their families and friends, and the beauty of the Vintage Villas venue.  Outdoors overlooking the serenity of Lake Travis -- can't beat it.  I didn't get a chance to have someone get a cell phone photo, but I hope to get a shot from their wonderful wedding photographer, Ron Parks.

International Wedding -- Mexico

At the end of January, I ministered the wedding of Katie and Matt Trevino on the beach in Cancun, Mexico.  The resort was the Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa (http://www.dreamsresorts.com/riviera-cancun), and it's beautiful.  It was Bonnie's and my first time staying at an "all inclusive" resort, and we liked it -- it was great to never consider the cost of food or drinks when picking an item at the restaurants and bars.  You just choose what you want.

There's a kind of gazebo on the beach, and an on-site wedding coordinator, photographer, and DJ -- everything you need.  (Secret tip: skip the very expensive massages at the spa -- like, $170 -- and walk a few yards down the beach for a breezy massage under an ocean-front tent for $45.)

The resort did a wonderful job with the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and reception.  The photographer ended up taking too many photos of food, and not as many of the  guests and wedding party, so be sure to make your desires known on this ahead of time, wherever you get married.

After a terrific afternoon of beach volleyball…. (the minister has fallen, and can't get up!)

 we had the wedding.

Katie and I work together at Gentiva Hospice in Austin, where she is a nurse and I am a chaplain.  It was a joy (and a fun vacation) to minister her wedding to Matt.  They are in the process of living Happily Ever After!

blessings,

John

Rev. John Connor

Austin, Texas

Destination Weddings -- IMPORTANT TIP

Hey gang,

It's been several months since my last blog post.  I continue to enjoy ministering at weddings around the Austin area -- particularly in south and west Austin, and surrounding towns.

(Mr. and Mrs. Casey & Michelle West, and me)

Next month I will officiate at my first INTERNATIONAL destination wedding -- just outside Cancun, Mexico. A nurse that I work with at Odyssey/Gentiva Hospice is marrying her fiancé, and Bonnie and I will fly down and combine some sunny vacation time, with a wedding for a great couple.  (Photos from that wedding should have a lovely beach theme.)

Important tip!  If you are going to do a destination wedding outside the US, check with your local County Clerk's office to see what rules there are about how the wedding is legally recognized in the US.  In some cases, there are so many hoops to jump through -- signing sworn affidavits after your return, and never being granted a true "marriage license" -- that you may want to have a quiet ceremony beforehand with a US officiant.  Then, it doesn't matter what forms (and credentials of the minister at the foreign destination) are used, because you are already legally married in America.

Email me or call with any questions -- and more information about my wedding services are available at http://www.ReverendConnor.com

blessings,
John

Lovely old church for an Austin wedding

I was happy to bring together in marriage CJ & Lauren Geoffroy on Friday, March 29, 2013.  They are a sweet and loving couple, and all of their friends and family were thrilled for them.

Here is a photo of the new husband and wife, with me in the middle:

If you want more information about Hyde Park Presbyterian Church, at the corner of 40th and Avenue B in Austin,  their site is at http://www.hydeparkaustin.org

You can reach me at John@ReverendConnor.com, and the page for my wedding officiant services is:  http://www.ReverendConnor.com

blessings,
John

Last weekend I ministered a wedding at the Stephen F. Austin/Intercontinental Hotel.  It's beautiful and historic, and right on Congress and 7th Street.  A member of the wedding party got this shot for me after the ceremony with the happy couple, Brian and Kari Rothenthaler.

Here are some photos of the hotel, from their website:
http://www.intercontinental.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/AUSHA?sicreative=9244672980&dp=true&sicontent=0&sitrackingid=211306197&cm_mmc=Google-PS-InterContinental-_-G%20B-Americas-Top-TX-Austin-_-TX-Austin-Stephen%2BF-_-stephen%20f.%20austin%20hotel&siclientid=1911

A wedding at a downtown hotel can be fun, because after the Rehearsal, (or the wedding) your friends can walk right out of the hotel into the entertainment district and get a taste of Austin.  The staff at the Stephen F. Austin were very accommodating and eager to help.

That's the blog for today, now I'm going to see what's happening at the Olympics!

blessings,
John
Rev. John Connor

The exact day...

Yesterday, at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Austin, I ministered a wedding.  The groom was born on the exact day of my wedding, November 26, 1988.  In a way, it made me feel old, but not in a bad way.

Of the 200+ weddings I've officiated, this groom was among the youngest, at age 23.  Most of my weddings are for couples around 30, on up to 50's and 60's.

It meant that Lundin and Jodie's parents and I were the same age.  But as later-in-life parents, my children are 15 and 13, so it'll be a good number of years until my girls walk down the aisle.  (And I like it that way!)  It was a little strange knowing that, since Jasmine is just a few days from being 16, she is only 7 years younger than the groom.  Seems to soon to me.

Age.  I can say that I feel comfortable with the age I am.  I don't wish I was younger, or older.  (However, in a few years I'll be getting those 55-and-over discounts at restaurants and theaters, which will be sweeeeeet...)

Today, I'm sitting with my family around the Christmas tree we just decorated, and I'm thankful for everything, including my years on this earth.

blessings,
John

Shawn & Lorraine Bradley's wedding

Hello gang,

Tonight I was glad to minister the Bradley wedding at Vintage Villas, on Eck Lane in Austin.   It was held outdoors at sunset, overlooking Lake Travis.  (Photo from the Vintage Villas web page.)

I have done some 50 weddings at Vintage Villas over the years.  A couple of months ago I stayed at their Bed & Breakfast hotel on the property, where I took this picture on the balcony with my iPhone:

Several of the wedding guests this evening asked me where I pastor a church.  Actually, my primary ministry is as a hospice chaplain with Odyssey Hospice in Austin.  It is good and rewarding ministry.  Yet having weddings to officiate occasionally is a nice, happy counterpart to the sometimes challenging hospice work that I do.

I also sometimes give guest sermons at Unity churches, and you can watch a video or listen to an audio at one of these sites.  Just scroll down to see me in a screen shot, or look for my name in their list of past services.

http://www.downtownunity.org/videopage.html

http://www.unitycenteraustin.org/   (here you can find my sermons under #16 "Divine Complements", or #21 "Who are You?")

blessings,

John